Jerry Lawler is stripped of the AWA World Heavyweight Title

[@Michael1966W]

I don’t blame Lawler, Verne didn’t pay anyone for that superclash dud

[@rewing84]

agreed

[@ericthomas917]

Verne was the reason the AWA went out of business

[@senecacooper1676]

All Verne wanted was to keep the money in his own pockets

[@PissedUAWElectrician]

@@suzannewillis817 I've never heard exactly why Verne put the belt on Hansen. Is there any Hansen shoots where he talks about why Verne made him champ??? Especially considering how over he was in Japan.

[@DotDotkins]

@@PissedUAWElectrician: Hansen does talk about it in shoot interviews but even he has no idea why Verne made him champion.

[@MrChrisStingray]

I loved Larry Nelson. He's such a nice guy. I don't know how more convincing you could be trying to act excited about the AWA.😂

[@DotDotkins]

What Larry Nelson was good at was putting over the wrestlers. I remember when he would cower in fear around Stan Hansen

[@stinkypinkeee5085]

@@DotDotkins I met Stan Hansen four years ago, and I was scared...

[@Mistertbones]

It took them this long to strip Lawler of the belt. He never showed up for the AWA again after Superclash III. The funny thing is that Lawler kept the belt. After the Snowman left the USWA and took the Unified belt with him, they used Lawler's AWA belt to represent the Unified belt.

[@DefLeppardVanHalen]

That's right.

[@BigOrangePred]

Lawler said he wasn't in the practice of wrestling for free. Gagne never paid him, nor Kerry Von Erich, for the Super Clash III event Screw the AWA It's no wonder they tanked soon after

[@Ecwfan]

The AWA would run limping along into late 1990. So 2 more years before the curtain closed. But cheating Lawler was stupid. He was their World Champion and they needed to protect that investment.

[@BigOrangePred]

@@Ecwfan Lawler wasn't the first or last Gagne screwed. He got funny with Hogan's money. Hogan bailed and, working with Vince, poached the best talent the AWA had - Slaughter, Patera, Hennig, Hall, Okerlund and Heenan just to name a few. Gagne seemed to go out of his way to piss off other promoters as well. Fritz, Watts and Crockett all ended up refusing to work talent exchanges with Verne.

[@dokc6996]

Maybe he's not a company champion like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair

[@bananabana6630]

@@dokc6996 Cap Locks on because you pissed me off! DUD OR GIRL ARE YOU THAT STUPID TO WORK FOR FREE?! THEY DIDN'T PAY LAWLER FOR WORK HE DID SO HE WALKED AWAY FROM THE AWA! PEOPLE HAVE BILLS TO PAY, I KNOW I DO AND I'M NOT WORKING ANYWHERE FOR ANYONE FOR FREE WHEN I HAVE BILLS TO PAY! MAYBE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN YOUR MOTHERS BASEMENT RENT FREE?!😡😡

[@kennethjohnson6319]

I met Jerry The King Lawler at a wrestling matches he told me that he has the awa title a glsss case in his home to this day

[@MrNWA4Life]

1. Belt not title 2. He has a copy. He traded the original for a newly made copy years ago.

[@maturanita]

Of course they knew why!!! Verne didn’t pay anyone for their participation in Super Clash III. Verne took the meagre incomes for himself and then blamed the Jarrets for it.

[@takashiph.d.7413]

True.

[@DotDotkins]

What income from it? The Pay-Per-View had a lousy buy rate and lost money. When people say Verne pocketed all the profits. I say: What profits?

[@maturanita]

@@DotDotkins never said he pocketed the profits mate; he pocketed the meagre income, which is way worse. Profits and income are different concepts. Having an income doesn’t mean you’re going to make a profit. BTW, thank you so much for the uploads. Are you from Minnesota ?

[@DotDotkins]

@@maturanita : If the pay per view was profitable there would of been an income. It did not make money therefore there was no income.

[@maturanita]

@@DotDotkins fun fact; I’m from SouthAmerica and watched the whole thing on December 13, 1988. Didn’t pay a dime

[@senecacooper1676]

AWA was a broke down ass promotion in its last days.

[@rokkvi1]

Yes it was certainly dying. People name different "turning points" but there were many points at which the downward slope became steeper for them. Many like to say it was Hulk Hogan leaving that put the nail in the coffin and in some ways that was probably the beginning of the end, but they still had some very good years after that. In 1984-6 they were doing quite well. I´ve seen it said somewhere they did better financially in 1984 because of the popularity of the Road Warriors and the rising popularity of wrestling in general, than they did in 1983 with Hogan. If you look at Wrestle Rock in 1986, they also had a huge crowd and some big names performing. In 1988 they were on a fast lane to extinction though.

[@marlon94124]

Very boring broadcasting and wrestling atmosphere, but Nick Bockwinkel matches made AWA worth watching.

[@PissedUAWElectrician]

I remember as a kid when the Team Challenge Series came around in the last days. Even as a 10 year old I could tell it was all but dead. So sad to see what became of a once great promotion.

[@jonathanturbide2232]

What Stanley forgot to write in that telegram is that Verne is a fucking thief who didn’t pay Lawler for his Superclash 3 main-event match. I guess it's a typo.

[@DotDotkins]

But I loved the use of showing the faux telegram on screen to try and make it look legit

[@Mistertbones]

What's funny is that Lawler used the AWA belt he took with him as the Unified Title in the USWA after the Snowman pawned the actual belt. So Lawler's AWA title lasted until 1997, years after the AWA was done.

[@craigstrachan]

Partly this was because of Lawler wanting competitors to go to Memphis to challenge for the title plus the fact that the Superclash 3 card was a complete failure though Lawler did unify the AWA World Title with the the WCCW World Title therefore becoming the Unified World Champion plus having to defend the WCCW Half of that title in Texas as well so not overly surprised that the AWA stripped Lawler of their World Title .After that the AWA pretty much went downhill and WCCW then became USWA and recognized Lawler as the Unified World Champion .

[@ericthomas917]

The WCCW title was not a legit world title and neither was the USWA's so called unified world title. They were just regional titles.

[@rokkvi1]

@@ericthomas917 true, but it´s actually quite ironic, referring to two other titles, both of which are located in one country (the USA) , in a what is really more of a scripted show than a competitive sport, as "legit" world titles :D

[@ronaldshank7589]

Didn't the AWA go out of business around 1990-1991? That's when I thought they went out of business, but I could be wrong...

[@zt1053]

I am from Memphis so needless to say I loathed the AWA after this happened.

[@Mistertbones]

Superclash III was the beginning of the end of the AWA.

[@rewing84]

second that

[@HeavyJ713]

TBH fkr as good as Lawler was nobody outside of Memphis cared about anything Lawler did.

[@allenwoodall5590]

He gave up the A.W.A. world title because Verne didn't paid him like others for Super Clash 3 . Stan Hansen gave up the A.W.A. world Title for the same reason. Verne wanted so much money that's why Hulk Hogan . Bobby Heenan Rick Martel others left over the years.

[@MrNWA4Life]

They didn't give up the AWA World title, they were stripped of it.

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Verne was a has been and a complete loser embarrassment. His son was a geek to boot.

[@JohnJohnson-cd6ct]

Lawler claims he was never paid for Superclash III.

[@bananabana6630]

It's not a claim it's a fact and it's well documented that Verne was screwing people that is why all the talent left the AWA.

[@anthonyjones7848]

The final nail in the AWA'S coffin was when Henning left for the WWF. Gagne had no natural guy to put in on, so he was forced to give it to Lawler. Even in the best of times, Lawler would've been a tough sell for the AWA audience. I think that Gagne finally knew that it was over once he saw that crowd at SuperClash III. It's a shame that King and Von Erich didn't get paid as they drew the house and had the best match.

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Verne was a loser and a derelict. His organization was a running joke at this point, the beggar of pro wrestling. No money no honey Verne, ya frigin bum.

[@jimsydnor7878]

The AWA world title. the championship that changed hands more often behind the curtains than in the ring

[@roncarl]

When the AWA and the wccw combine titles in Chicago and became the Unified champion. The AWA and the wccw titles no longer existed

[@MrNWA4Life]

Apparently the AWA World title did.

[@TheStuport]

At this time...The AWA Title was garbage in Value in the Wrestling World.....nuff said.

[@johngallagher72]

With Lawler Battling Kerry for it it still had tiny bit of credibility. Then Zybsko won the battle Royal and the AWA was pretty much finished.

[@MrNWA4Life]

@@johngallagher72 Z-B-Y-S-Z-K-O

[@georgewilliams1470]

Gee, Lawler didn't show up for title defences. Maybe if Verne paid Jerry he would have showed up.Also who determines a world champion due to a battle royal?

[@MrNWA4Life]

But it was ok when the WWF did it.

[@sjdrifter72]

@@MrNWA4Life I hated the way Vince made Ric Flair WWF champion by having him win the Royal Rumble and not winning it in a match against Hulk Hogan, which is what fans wanted to see.

[@chadwickwhite6107]

@@MrNWA4Life It WAS. Ric Flair winning the 1992 Royal Rumble ABSOLUTELY WAS the RIGHT THING for BUISNESS. Truth be TOLD I watched that pay-per-view and while Flair becoming WWF Champion was GREAT and REALLY ENTERTAINING it was Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's COMMENTARY that STOLE the SHOW. HE gave the fans MORE than our MONEY'S WORTH that NIGHT. R.I.P. Brain

[@chadwickwhite6107]

@@sjdrifter72 Vince had NO CHOICE!!!! Hogan PULLED his "That doesn't WORK for me BROTHER" BULLSHIT. Besides Flair would NOT have beaten Hogan for the WWF Championship. Vince would NEVER ALLOW that AND fans DID NOT WANT to see Flair beat Hogan. HULKAMANIA was in FULL FORCE in the WWF back then. No HULKAMANIAC wanted to see Flair beat Hogan.

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Only the Amateur wrestling Association

[@jimmyanderson1202]

AWA with their epic fail business decisions.

[@tonystone1016]

Remember telegrams?

[@jaeingram444]

If Lawler defended AWA Title at Superclash on Dec 13th, yeah right he had hadn't defended in several months......lies by the AWA

[@rewing84]

Big time lies

[@DotDotkins]

That's all they do in wrestling: Lie

[@richkeeney4744]

This dude Bob Ryan has some mad mic skills. He could be the next Paul Heyman.

[@tonygarea7925]

He is the AWA version of the WWF's Guy Debored

[@GETole]

Verne failed to change with the times.

[@milovaldez8269]

Sad to say. The AWA was a sinking ship. But there were great wrestling memories in history

[@gregoryellinwood1220]

I don’t blame Lawler, Verne didn’t pay anyone for that super clash and gave it to his son in law Larry Z then after verne sold out to wcw z

[@Blacattacsquadron]

Money wasn't the issue with this situation!! He always tried to win a belt and force the money through Memphis but no money came through Memphis because the ticket prices weren't sufficient. Only enough for Lawler.

[@robbhooper7577]

The end of a once great promotion! Verne was a tight wad! Enough said

[@brettbousman5070]

Wccw, cwa, and awa at first unified their titles. Awa then wanted out of that deal so it was just wccw and cwa with that unified title. Both promotions would eventually become uswa. Also lawler never got paid at super lash as many have mentioned already

[@jamesweikel2594]

But didn't Jerry kept the belt

[@oldandbitter]

I could listen to this walking Wisconsin stereotype talk all day long!

[@JasonQuinn-qq4om]

Verne stiffed everyone at SuperClash. I don’t blame Jerry. I wouldn’t show up either until I got paid.

[@GregasaurausRex]

That is when I stopped watching the AWA.

[@larrymasullo6779]

They should have pushed Mitch Snow and Tommy Jammer

[@stanleygerard4319]

Perhaps Verne Gagna should have PAID Jerry Lawler the money he owed him.

[@redstone5149]

Verne didn’t pay the talent sh@t. It was inevitable his greedy ass would go belly up. It was broke ass production anyway.

[@RealArtfulDodger]

I know this was kayfabe but good grief, to bury Lawler and "we don't know why" LOL? Like what do you do when your employer doesn't pay you? Funny thing is, Verne did this exact same thing in 1990 when he pocketed all the money from that last Super Clash just months before going out of business. He borrowed against his farm and was going to lose it but no excuse.

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Verne was the shit stain of wrestling at this point, Greg was shit stain JR. Their family humiliated themselves how they conducted themselves at the end. No honor whatsoever.

[@Daniel-hn7nd]

Damn. Lawler didn't show up

[@glindelahern5420]

Weaker than Greg Gagne.

[@seanbuchanan966]

It's a shame cause I thought that ppv could have merged the awa cwa world class into a big major organization. I guess Verne just took the money and ran. Shame

[@kampuskop]

Greg Gagne..... LMFAO!

[@ivanmarquez4738]

Heavyweight Champion of what World?

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

Battle royal for a world title? Typical AWA poop. What nonsense.

[@arkansasgreg]

AWA stripped everyone of the title....lol

[@jessemchihuahua8443]

That was CRAP!

[@sickpup820]

Verne didn't pay him what he was owed, and Lawler took the belt with him.

[@tonymazz9912]

Just another screw up by Verne Gagne..what else is new.

[@johngallagher72]

This is just a hunch but Bob Ryan may be a nerd.

[@kurtcobainpizza5606]

Verne Gagne was a bum

[@westarsatelliteservices2428]

What a joke this was. And I knew it before I got the Kayfabe Vaccine.

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

You still with us...lmao!

[@jerryhenry662]

verne big a money hound as vince

[@ronaldshank7589]

What happened? Was Jerry Lawler double-booked by two Wrestling Organizations, or something? No matter what, he should've been defending the AWA World Heavyweight Championship! I don't blame the AWA one bit for stripping Jerry Lawler of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship! He knew that he was supposed to defend the Belt, and he knew the rule that stipulates that the Belt must be defended every 30 days, or else it is to be relinquished by the holder of the Belt.

[@DefLeppardVanHalen]

That is true. Every promotion has a mandatory window between title defenses, whether it's every 30 days, every 60 days, or every 90 days. After that, you're stripped of the title.

[@ronaldshank7589]

@@DefLeppardVanHalen I just happened to look at your username here-Def Leppard/Van Halen. Two groups that I grew up with. If you check their discographies on Wapedia, you'll find out that they both have one thing in common:They both have at least two Diamond Albums to their credit! A Diamond Album is an Album that sells at least 10,000,000 copies. Def Leppard's two Diamond Albums are Pyromania and Hysteria, while Van Halen's two Diamond Albums are their first Album, Van Halen, and 1984, which was released in 1983. Those stats alone show you just how popular and influential their music was, and still is, today! Neither group will be forgotten!

[@stanleygerard4319]

would you show up to work if your boss owed you thousands of dollars and refused to pay you?

[@ronaldshank7589]

@@stanleygerard4319 Not sure if you're referring to me, but, if you are-Point taken. I definitely see your point on that one. You mean to tell me, that the AWA wasn't paying Jerry "The King" Lawler, what they were supposed to? Man, if that's the case, I wouldn't have worked for the AWA either! I've heard about some very nefarious doings in that Organization. Is it any wonder that they folded?

[@shadowfiend3142]

@@stanleygerard4319 not me I wouldn't work for anyone that doesn't pay me even if it's a cross promotion or a co company joint operation

[@chuckdeless9891]

JESSE THE BODY BEAT LAWLER TWICE. ONCE FOR HIS BELT AND THEN FOR HIS CROWN.

[@seanbonella]

Typical gagne cheap

[@1carlportl]

i CALL BULL ST*T

[@rewing84]

as do i

[@madbrowniac7871]

Larry Nelson did some fine work as The AWA Mic guy and his is profoundly underappreciated as that of Bob Caudle in JCP or that of Steve Stack and Steve Goodson in Southwest Championship Wrestling.🤔🎤🤼‍♂️B.W.